Adjustable crutch



May 13, @941.

F. H. SCHROEDER ADJUSTABLE CRUTCH Filed Aug. 10, 1939 E H.5EHREEEE1? WZW 7 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 13, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE CRUTCH mm. Schroeder, Corwith, Iowa Appiication August 10, 1939, Serial No. 289,417:

1 Claim.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an adjustable crutch which may be adjusted for arm reach and for total length to accommodate different-sized individuals.

A further object of this invention is to provide an adjustable crutch which, when assembled, will be inherently rigid and correctly balanced.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an adjustable crutch which is light in weight and sturdy in construction.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an adjustable crutch that is economical in manufacture and durable and efficient in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the method hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my complete adjustable crutch ready for use.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational View of my complete crutch more fully illustrating its structure.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the upper tube and shaft of my crutch showing its internal construction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the bottom tube and shaft of my crutch showin its structure.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional View of the lower tube and frame of my device and is taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

I-Ieretofore, it has been necessary for supply houses to stock a great many different sizes of crutches and even these fell far short of permitting a quick accurate fit of the crutch to an individual, inasmuch as they were made in stand ard reach relative to the total length of the crutch. This made it hard for some individuals to obtain a crutch suitable for their build, reach and height. In many cases where the height of the crutch was correct, the reach from the rest member to the handle was either too great or too small. Furthermore, if a family had a pair of crutches, it was unlikely that they could be used by any other member of the family or any other individual, due to their differences in height. It is extremely important that a crutch be of a reasonably exact height and have an adjustment to permit varying reaches between the rest and the handle.

It is to overcome such disadvantages that I have provided my adjustable crutch which will hereinafter be described.

Referring to the drawing, I have used the suitable material.

numeral I 0 to designate a frame member consisting of a sheet of metallic material having its edges beaded and having an enlarged opening ex-- tending to this beading, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The numeral l2 indicates a cylindrical tube element having the frame l0 securely welded thereto and extending upwardly therefrom.

The numeral l3 indicates a shaft slidably mounted in the tube I 2 and having a plurality of holes l4 cut therethrough.

The numeral It: indicates a bolt capable of being placed through the sleeve I2 and through any one of the holes M, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. This bolt It has both its head and the threaded nut rounded to prevent its catchin on the person using the crutch.

The numeral l6 indicates an ordinary crutch head rigidly secured to the upper end of the shaft I4. I have used the numeral I! to indicate a handle member placed in the central portion of the opening II and having its end portion secured to the band of the frame it].

The numeral l8 indicates a second tube rigidly secured to the frame member I!) below the opening I l and having its axis in prolongation of the axis of the tube l2. The numeral l9 indicates an elongated shaft slidably mounted Within the tube I8 and having a plurality of spaced-apart holes 20 cut therein.

The numeral 2| indicates a bolt capable of be ing placed through the tube l8 and through any one of the holes 20. I have used the numeral 22 to designate the ordinary crutch tip made of resilient material such as rubber or the like and placed on the lower end of the shaft ii).

In practical use, a pair of crutches may be obtained without reference to size. The shaft l3 may be placed within the tube or sleeve I2 and when the desired distance between the rest 16 and handle I! has been ascertained, the bolt l5 may be placed through the selected hole l4 and the threaded nut placed thereon, thereby making the shaft l3 and tube or sleeve i 2 a rigid unit. Likewise, when the desired length is found, the shaft l9 may be placed into the tube or sleeve is and the bolt 2| introduced through the proper hole 29. The crutch is then ready for use and of the desired length and reach. It will be noted that, in shipping, my crutch may be taken apart and placed in a very compact container. There are obviously many changes in structure and the beading on the frame member it! would obviously be a separate strip of steel or any other My device may be made of aluminum to attain lightness and strength or may be made of wood or may be made of a combination of various materials and elements to obtain the desired weight, strength and balance.

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided an adjustable crutch which fulfills all of my objects and which presents many more obvious advantages.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my improved adjustable crutch without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within its scope.

I claim:

In a device of the class described, a cylindrical tube, a frame member secured to the 'diametri cally opposite sides of said tube near its lower end, each of said frame members having its marginal edge beaded and an enlarged opening adjacent its central portion extending to the beading, a handle member positioned in said opening in said frames and having its end portion secured to the beading of said frames respectively, a, shaft slidably mounted in said tube and extending upwardly, a means for adjustably securing said shaft to said tube at times, a supporting rest secured to the upper end of said shaft, a second tube rigidly secured between said frame members below said opening and extending downwardly, an elongated shaft slidably mountedin said second mentioned tube and a means for adjustably securing said shaft to said second mentioned tube.

FRANK I-I. SCHROEDER. 

